


On This Path Without a Map

by maelstromdeparture



Series: On the Right Road [5]
Category: GOT7, Stray Kids (Band), TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Brothers, Discrimination, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrids, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mentioned Kim Woojin, Minor Injuries, Nightmares, Other Characters Are Mentioned, Past Abuse, Producer Bang Chan, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24051619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maelstromdeparture/pseuds/maelstromdeparture
Summary: Changbin and Hyunjin are used to their routine and happy with life. The last thing they were expecting was for it to be interrupted on a rainy night when they find a freezing and injured hybrid taking shelter under the cover of the back door to the record shop.
Series: On the Right Road [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723291
Comments: 4
Kudos: 84





	On This Path Without a Map

**Author's Note:**

> This mentions a lot of other people and references them but most of them don't actually appear other than being there in the background. 
> 
> Warnings before going further!!!!!!  
> I don't really go into description of basically anything but this fic does state things more bluntly than the others in this series have so far. 
> 
> So warnings:  
> mentioned abuse  
> mentioned rape  
> mentioned starvation  
> mentioned mind games/torture (not really called this but like it's implied)  
> there are minor injuries involved and blood referenced  
> panic attack  
> a nightmare is had but is not described or explained 
> 
> The panic attack isn't like super accurate because I've never seen anyone have a panic attack and am not exactly super aware when I'm having one so it's not descriptive but it does happen. 
> 
> Alright! I think that's all the important stuff so enjoy! :D
> 
> ***this is now edited!!!! :))))

Hyunjin liked his routine with Changbin. He liked getting to nap whenever he wanted, he liked that Changbin woke him up in the mornings, he liked Sunday dinners with the rest of the group, he liked getting to hang out with Jisung and Felix and Chan whenever they were free, he liked getting to be with Changbin while Changbin worked, he liked not having to be alone, he liked getting to run around, he liked going to the dance class at Hope On the Street, he liked his routine with Changbin and how comfortable it was. It was familiar and safe. So he didn’t like how weird tonight felt. He didn’t like the way it felt like they were in the calm before the storm. He really didn’t like how it felt like the world was too still, too quiet despite the rain outside the window. The world was still and it was wrong. Life wasn’t supposed to be quiet and still anymore, it was supposed to be laughter, music, sunshine, and yelling and running with the others. Not to say he didn’t like peaceful nights, he liked the nights he and Changbin could sit curled up on the couch with tea and watch tv, but this was not one of those nights. Hyunjin could feel it in his bones and he could tell Changbin could too. Changbin was restless and Hyunjin, well, he felt twitchy. So, when Changbin finally stood up and set his mug of tea on the table Hyunjin watched him anxiously.

“I’m going downstairs to double check the doors, it sounds like the storm is picking up,” said Changbin and Hyunjin nodded and watched him go to the stairs, grabbing his keys. The storm did pick up as Changbin checked the front doors and Hyunjin could hear thunder crack overhead and the rain outside went from a light drizzle to what sounded like a torrential downpour. He pushed the blanket aside when Changbin didn’t return in the next five minutes. It never took him long to check the doors. He slid his cell phone into his back pocket as he stood up and stepped towards the door to the stairs. He cracked it open and listened for Changbin. He didn’t hear anything. He was probably checking the back door.

“Hyung?” he called hesitantly and started down the stairs. The back door slammed and Hyunjin jumped and tugged his cell phone out of his pocket again, ready to call for help, and hurried down the rest of the stairs.

“Hyung!” he called.

“Hyunjinnie, I need you to come lock the door!” called Changbin and Hyunjin hurried through the store to the back door and found Changbin struggling to carry a soaked and dirty figure.

“Get the door locked please, Hyunjinnie?” asked Changbin and Hyunjin nodded and quickly yanked the door shut and locked it. He followed Changbin through the store and towards the stairs, pulling the bottom door closed and locking it and then locking the apartment door too once Changbin stepped inside.

“Hyung, what?” asked Hyunjin following Changbin through the apartment to the bathroom where he carefully set the crumple figure into the bathtub. It was a person, or should be a person if a person wasn’t completely covered in mud and rags.

“Found him in the alley, he’s bleeding and I think he’s sick, he didn’t barely wake up when I tried to wake him,” said Changbin, “I’m going to get him clean. Can you find him warm clothes to borrow?”

“Yeah,” said Hyunjin nodding, “I’m putting the kettle on too in case he wakes up enough to get some tea in him.”

“Good idea,” agreed Changbin nodding. Hyunjin stood up and hurried to his room, from what he could tell the person in the tub was taller than Changbin so Hyunjin’s clothes would have to work. He pulled out a pair of soft sweatpants and grabbed an oversized fuzzy red hoodie for him too as well as underwear and socks and ran back into the bathroom.

“Clothes, hyung,” said Hyunjin setting them on the counter.

“Thank you,” said Changbin. He had the other supported against the wall and was running the tub to fill it with warm water and was carefully rinsing through his hair, there were fluffy ears on his head and even with the fur matted and knotted it was easy to tell it was supposed to be fluffy, though the coloring and kind was undiscernible.

“I think I’m going to need scissors to get these clothes off of him, they’re dried onto his skin with blood,” said Changbin frowning.

“Here, let me try,” said Hyunjin stepping forward. The two of them worked together to get the person undressed and settled in the water.

“Hopefully the injuries aren’t that bad,” said Changbin starting to try and clean him off again.

“Let me know if I need to call Namjoon-hyung,” said Hyunjin nodding, “I’m going to heat water.”

“I’ll yell if I need help,” said Changbin nodding. Hyunjin stepped out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. Thirty minutes later, Hyunjin was sipping at his own tea and Changbin came down the hallway supporting the other who was now clean and wearing Hyunjin’s clothes. He still looked dazed and was shivering. He had gray hair and brown eyes and cute fluffy dog ears.

“Okay, Hyunjinnie’s making tea for you,” said Changbin, “we’re going to get you sat on the couch with a blanket and see if we can’t warm you up some more. And then maybe you can tell us what happened. Or you could sleep first.” The boy just nodded and Hyunjin hurriedly made tea and brought over the mug. Hyunjin pressed the mug into the other hybrid’s hands while Changbin grabbed the blankets and carefully wrapped them around him.

“Are you hurt much?” asked Hyunjin, eyes flicking up to Changbin when the boy didn’t respond.

“It didn’t look like much more than a few scrapes and some really nasty bruises. I think his nose and lip were bleeding which was what most of the blood was from,” said Changbin shaking his head, “he probably still should see Namjoon-hyung, but it can wait until he’s slept and eaten.”

“That’s good,” said Hyunjin nodding, “it’s so cold outside tonight, you’ve got to be freezing. Please drink the tea.” He carefully lifted the mug towards the boy’s face and the boy took the hint quickly taking a sip. Changbin stood up.

“Will you eat something if I make you something warm?” asked Changbin, “soup maybe?” The boy nodded hesitantly and Changbin headed into the kitchen. The boy’s eyes followed him and darted to the door and the windows. Changbin came back with soup a few minutes later. It took a lot of coaxing to get both the soup and tea into the boy and he never said anything to either of them. They ended up putting him in Hyunjin’s room and Hyunjin crawled into bed with Changbin to sleep that night.

The morning starts out fairly normal and Changbin gets up before Hyunjin, gets ready for the day, and starts to make breakfast and coffee. He wanders down the hallway to check on their guest and knocks once before opening the door to see if he’s awake. The other is sitting up in the bed, ears pressed flat against his head and his hands holding tight to the blanket like it’s a shield.

“Hey, good morning,” said Changbin, “I’m glad you look more coherent than last night. It’s time for breakfast, I need like five minutes to get Hyunjin up and moving and then we’ll all eat and we can talk about what to do from here.” The boy nodded and got to his feet. He stayed in the doorway of the room and watched from there as Changbin opened the door to his own room and walked over to the bed and shook Hyunjin.

“Hyunjin-ah,” he said.

“No,” muttered Hyunjin.

“Hyunjinnie, you need to wake up,” said Changbin.

“Hyung,” complained Hyunjin and Changbin laughed and pulled him upright, Hyunjin was deadweight leaning against his chest.

“Come on, up,” said Changbin, “our guest is already awake, you can go back to sleep after you eat.”

“Ugh, morning people,” complained Hyunjin relenting to let Changbin pull him out of bed and lead him down the hall, not bothering to open his eyes. The other boy watched the entire interaction with wide eyes and hesitantly followed the pair down the hallway. Changbin got Hyunjin settled at the table and sat in his own chair and beckoned the other hybrid over to sit in the other chair.

“I guess we should introduce ourselves,” said Changbin to him after handing him food. “I’m Seo Changbin, that’s Hwang Hyunjin.”

“Can I make first impressions after it’s not ass o’clock in the morning?” complained Hyunjin.

“He’s not a morning person,” said Changbin shrugging, “he’ll wake up enough to want to talk in like twenty minutes. How do you feel? You’re not still cold, right?”

“No, sir, thank you,” said the hybrid quietly shaking his head quickly.

“That’s good,” said Changbin, “please call me Changbin. Do you know how old you are?”

“Born in 98,” said the boy.

“Ah, you’re older than me then, you’re my hyung,” said Changbin nodding. “Do you mind if I ask why you were passed out behind our store last night in the freezing rain?”

“Please don’t send me back,” whispered the boy.

“Okay, I won’t,” said Changbin nodding, “you can stay here for now, we’ve got room, but I’d like to go to the clinic today so Dr. Kim can make sure you’re not hurt.”

“I’ll do whatever you want, please just don’t send me back,” said the boy nodding quickly.

“I promise we won’t send you back,” said Changbin, “it’s safe here, I swear. What’s your name?” The boy looked startled by this question.

“Minho, but you can call me whatever you want, sir,” he said.

“He’s going to call you Minho cause that’s your name, hyung,” said Hyunjin rubbing at one of his eyes. “What kind of dog are you? I’m a Persian.”

“Chow Chow,” said Minho quietly, his ears flattening again.

“Cool, cool, so your fur is probably not too different from mine,” said Hyunjin nodding, “that’s good. We had to find a book when I first got here because we had no idea what we were doing.”

“We can always ask Jackson-hyung too,” pointed out Changbin nodding, “besides Minho-hyung might know how to take care of his own fur.”

“Right, I didn’t think about that,” said Hyunjin nodding.

“Do you want to shower, Minho-hyung?” asked Changbin, “or just change clothes?” Minho’s ears flattened more and he looked a little panicked.

“There’s not a wrong answer, hyung,” said Hyunjin after a moment, “you can shower if you still feel gross, but Changbinnie-hyung made sure to get all the blood and stuff cleaned off last night when he was trying to get you warmed up so if you don’t want to it doesn’t matter.” Minho chewed on his lip before nodding.

“Clothes,” he said.

“Alright, let’s find something then,” said Hyunjin standing up. Minho hurried to stand up too, reaching to start clearing the table.

“Don’t worry about it, hyung, I’ll do it,” said Changbin waving a hand and standing up. Hyunjin grabbed Minho’s hand and pulled him down the hall.

“Changbinnie-hyung always cleans up and makes breakfast and stuff, partly because he’s worried I’ll drop the plates and partly because I’m kind of dead to the world until I’ve had coffee,” said Hyunjin nodding cheerfully.

“You don’t do the work?” asked Minho hesitantly, “but shouldn’t that be your job?”

“No,” said Hyunjin shaking his head, “I help out with the other meals but it’s not my job. Hyung calls it shared responsibility. I don’t help in the store either, but I could if I wanted to. Mostly I just chill while hyung works or I go do stuff with Jisung-ah and Felix-ah. You’ll like them they’re fun. And Channie-hyung is super great too.”

“You don’t work?” asked Minho, “because you’re a cat?”

“No, because I don’t want to,” said Hyunjin as he pulled open the closet door. “Hyung would teach me to help in the shop if I asked him to, but I like the way things are and I don’t want to.”

“Do,” started Minho and then hesitated before seemingly deciding he need to know. “Do you have to do anything else?”

“No,” said Hyunjin shaking his head, “I’m assuming you mean like sex and stuff and that is no.”

“You were in his bed this morning?” asked Minho ears twitching nervously.

“Yeah, cause you were in mine and I’m a cuddler anyway,” said Hyunjin shrugging, “I sleep with him when I have nightmares or his insomnia gets bad too. There’s nothing more than cuddling involved and he’d have slept on the couch if I’d not wanted to share last night.”

“You didn’t have to earn the bed? Or. Or the food this morning?” asked Minho.

“Nope,” said Hyunjin shaking his head, “food is a right and we should eat three meals a day and the scheduled snacks and more if we’re hungry, the kitchen is never closed. I was like super underweight when Changbin-hyung got me so we set up a schedule and alarms and stuff for food so neither of us would forget. He was worried that he’d forget the schedule and I wouldn’t eat. We don’t really have that problem now and technically don’t need the schedule anymore but it’s habit now and I like the routine so it’s how we do things. We’ll adjust if it bugs you.”

“Food is a right?” asked Minho cocking his head. “And the bed? What do I have to do to pay for that?”

“Sleep,” said Hyunjin shrugging, “it’s there for sleeping on. You don’t have to do anything.”

“Your owner is weird,” said Minho finally.

“Probably because he’s not my owner he’s my person and I’m his person,” said Hyunjin nodding, “the only way he’s my owner is on paper because he has to be. He’s my brother. People shouldn’t be owned.”

“We’re not people,” said Minho shaking his head.

“No, we are,” said Hyunjin nodding as he pulled open a drawer, “what kind of pants do you want, hyung?”

“I can pick?” asked Minho, “and what do you mean?”

“Yes, you can pick. And I mean we are people. We just were conditioned since we were really young to believe we weren’t. To believe humans are better than us, they’re not,” said Hyunjin shaking his head, “I know it’s kind of a lot all at once. But please don’t hesitate to ask questions and try not to stress too much about being here. You’re with us now, you’re safe and you won’t have to worry about food, sleeping, working, or pain or anything ever again.”

“He’s going to keep me?” asked Minho stepping closer to Hyunjin to look at the pants in the drawer and grabbing one of the pairs of jeans.

“Yeah,” said Hyunjin, “probably. Unless you don’t want to stay with us, in which case we’ll see if Channie-hyung wants to take you or Jackson-hyung or BamBam-hyung. They’d all take you and they’re all like Changbin-hyung. But we’ll keep you if you want to stay.”

“I think I’ll take my chances with the person that brought me inside out of the rain instead of someone I don’t know,” said Minho after a few seconds. Hyunjin nodded.

“Makes sense,” he said. “Pick a shirt and a jacket, hyung. I’m going to shower, Changbin-hyung’s probably calling Namjoon-hyung to see if we can go see them to make sure you don’t have like internal injuries or anything.”

“A doctor?” asked Minho grabbing a shirt with long sleeves and a hoodie from the closet.

“Yeah, he’s super nice,” said Hyunjin nodding, “and Yoongi-hyung’s grumpy and seems mean but he’s got a soft spot for the kids of the group and you’ll count as one of us now.”

“You call all the human’s hyung?” asked Minho.

“The older ones,” said Hyunjin nodding, “Kai-ah is younger so not him, you’ll meet him soon, he’ll run the store while we’re at the clinic.”

“And, your – person, he kept calling me hyung,” said Minho.

“Well, yeah you’re older,” said Hyunjin nodding, “okay, you get changed I’m going to shower. You can stay here if you want or go find Changbin-hyung or really whatever.” Minho nodded and started to pull off the hoodie he was wearing to change into the new clothes. Hyunjin grabbed a couple things for him to change into and headed to the bathroom. Once Minho was done he decided to look through the room and then out the window to try and determine where he was. It wasn’t long before he heard Hyunjin leaving the bathroom and the younger boy appeared in the room, hair wet and knotted. He grabbed a basket of what looked like brushes and a hair dryer.

“We definitely need to get you clothes that fit you,” said Hyunjin nodding, “but that works for now.” Minho nodded and followed Hyunjin down the hallway.

“I really don’t need a lot of clothes,” he said shaking his head, “I don’t want to be expensive.”

“Everyone needs clothes,” said Hyunjin shaking his head, “don’t worry about it. Hyung!” Changbin stuck his head out of the kitchen.

“Hey, ready?” he asked. Hyunjin nodded and flopped down onto the floor in front of the couch sitting cross legged. Changbin settled onto the couch behind him and started digging through the basket. He plugged the hair dryer in and started drying Hyunjin’s hair and fur. Hyunjin’s eyes fluttered closed and he relaxed into the warmth from the dryer and the older boy’s hands in his hair.

“You can sit on the couch, hyung,” said Changbin smiling up at Minho who hurriedly sat down.

“Hyung, can do your hair after you want,” said Hyunjin.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Minho quickly, “I can do my own.”

“So can Hyunjinnie, he just doesn’t like to,” said Changbin shrugging and putting aside the dryer to start carefully combing through the knots.

“It’s better when someone else does it,” said Hyunjin shrugging, “and Changbinnie-hyung’s really good about being careful of the knots and not blowing air into my ears.”

“I’m sure you have your routine timed out, I don’t want to mess it up,” said Minho shaking his head.

“Okay,” said Changbin nodding, “just let me know if you change your mind. We’re leaving in twenty minutes for Bangtan Hybrid Clinic, Kai should be here in fifteen to open the shop. Do you have anyone looking for you, Minho-hyung?” Minho shook his head quickly his ears flattening against his head.

“You said you wouldn’t take me back,” he whispered.

“And I won’t,” said Changbin shaking his head, “I just need to know what I’m not taking you back to so we can be prepared if they come looking for you.” Minho chewed on his lip.

“I really don’t want to push, hyung, but if someone comes looking and we’re not prepared there’s a chance there won’t be anything I can do to keep them from taking you back,” said Changbin, “and I don’t want that and you don’t want that, so I need to know so we can take steps to keep that from happening.”

“We really aren’t taking you back if you don’t want to go, hyung,” said Hyunjin nodding, “I’ll swear on my life if you like.”

“I ran away from the shelter,” said Minho quietly. “I kept getting returned. They sold me to a gang last time and they dropped me off at the shelter a few days ago, I ran off that day because the shelter had said it was my last chance to get adopted and I was scared. I didn’t want to die. If you take me back I’ll die, so please please don’t take me back.”

“We won’t,” said Changbin, “we won’t let that happen. We’ll stop by today to get your paperwork from the shelter and you won’t even have to come in if you don’t want to.”

“They lost my id book years ago,” said Minho shaking his head.

“They’ll still have your adoption paperwork,” said Changbin, “and I’ll need that to prove that you live here legally. If we need to get you a new id we’ll do that after.”

“We helped Chan-hyung go through this process with Felix-ah,” supplied Hyunjin nodding, “the police dropped Felix-ah off at Namjoon-hyung’s and Namjoon-hyung called Chan to see if he could take him because he didn’t have room and Chan speaks English and Lix didn’t speak Korean. That was like a year and a half ago now.”

“If they really were going to euthanize you, they won’t care to check if you’re actually with me and you won’t have to come inside the shelter at all,” said Changbin shaking his head, he grabbed the brush and quickly brushed through Hyunjin’s hair. The door downstairs opened and voices echoed through the building.

“That’s Kai and Taehyun,” said Hyunjin brightly, ears perking up slightly. Changbin set the brush aside and stood up.

“Alright, we should get ready to go,” he said. Hyunjin grabbed the basket and ran off to put it away.

“Let’s see about finding you some decent shoes, yeah, Minho-hyung?” asked Changbin. Minho dutifully followed Changbin to the front entrance and tugged on the shoes Changbin handed him. Changbin pulled on his own and Hyunjin joined them moments later and pulled on his own shoes and a white hoodie before grabbing his collar off the hook. The three of them headed down the stairs to the shop and Minho looked around curiously, but stuck by Hyunjin’s side partly to protect the younger seemingly naïve hybrid from whoever else was in the building and partly from his own nerves.

“Hey, hyung,” called Kai flipping on the lights.

“Oh, cool, you must be why we’re opening by ourselves today,” said Taehyun waving slightly, “hi, I’m Taehyun, that’s Kai-ah, nice to meet you.”

“Hi,” said Minho nodding at him, eyes flicking over to look at Kai who just beamed at him.

“Wow, you’re pretty,” said Kai nodding, “I like your hair, it’s so cool.” Minho’s cheeks flushed pink and he ducked his head.

“It’s not the right color,” he muttered.

“It’s not? But it’s so cool,” said Kai shaking his head.

“It’s not,” said Minho.

“Oh, like how I’d be less valuable if my coloring wasn’t white,” said Hyunjin nodding, “but that doesn’t matter now cause you’re with us and we think gray is awesome.”

“Oh,” said Minho softly stepping closer to Hyunjin again.

“You’re okay to hold down the fort until we get back, right?” asked Changbin.

“Yep, all good, hyung,” said Taehyun nodding and moving to start up the computer.

“We’ll call Johnny-hyung if we need anything, he’s just down the street,” said Kai nodding, “don’t worry.”

“Alright,” said Changbin, “we’ll be back sometime this afternoon. Call if there’s an emergency.”

“We will, bye, it was nice to meet you, Minho-hyung,” called Kai waving as the three of them left. Hyunjin chattered cheerfully to Minho as they walked, keeping up a conversation filled with meaningless information. Minho did notice that despite Changbin looking somewhat hard and generally annoyed he would smile fondly at Hyunjin every once in a while. So maybe Changbin really was all that Hyunjin had tried to tell Minho he was. It didn’t take them long to reach the clinic on the next street over and Changbin was pulling the door open and they stepped inside, despite the sign on the door claiming they weren’t open yet. There was a man leaned against the counter who looked up when they entered.

“Hey,” he said, “you don’t have id or anything, right, Changbin-ah?”

“Yeah, hyung,” said Changbin nodding.

“Yoongi-hyung’s not here?” asked Hyunjin. The man glanced at his watch.

“He won’t show up for another fifteen minutes at least,” he said nodding, “hey, you must be Minho, I’m Mark. Since we don’t have ID for you we’re going to just head on back. We’ll get you entered into the system and make a file for you the next time you come in. Changbin-ah, I’m sure you know not to go talking about this, since it’s technically not super legal and we’re not having you pay.”

“You’re not having me pay?” asked Changbin as the three of them followed Mark through the doors and into one of the rooms.

“We’re not,” called Namjoon from down the hallway. “Good morning, Changbin-ah, Hyunjin-ah, and you must be Minho.”

“Hi, hyung,” said Hyunjin brightly.

“Morning, Namjoon-hyung, Minho-hyung, this is Dr. Kim Namjoon,” said Changbin.

“Hello, sir,” said Minho quickly, making sure to remember the manners he hadn’t used in ages. He didn’t want to mess this up.

“Hop on up onto the table and we’ll get you checked real quick,” said Namjoon nodding. Minho followed instructions and true to his word Namjoon was quick about checking for injuries.

“Alright,” he said sitting back, “looks like it’s just some serious bruising and the scrapes. You’re underweight, not as bad as Hyunjin-ah was in the beginning, but it’d be good to make sure he’s eating enough, Changbin-ah. You shouldn’t have any problem with that, Minho-ah, just follow the schedule with the other two. If you feel weird make sure to tell Changbin-ah in case you’re allergic to something, it’s not uncommon for dog hybrids to have food allergies. I think you’re good to go. You can give him the same vitamins that Hyunjin-ah takes. Better get registered though before anything else happens.”

“That’s the next stop,” said Changbin nodding. “I’m planning to call Chan-hyung and see if he’ll pick us up.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” said Namjoon holding out a sucker for Minho and one for Hyunjin and he offered one to Changbin who shoved it into his pocket. The four of them walked back to the front and bid goodbye to Mark before stepping outside. Hyunjin shoved his sucker into his mouth and talked Minho into doing the same while Changbin pulled out his phone to call Chan.

“Okay,” he said once he’d hung up the phone. “Channie’s going to be here in like five minutes, want to wait inside the café?”

“No, cause Jin-hyung will want to force feed us more food and I can’t eat anymore,” said Hyunjin shaking his head. “Let’s sit on the bench.” Changbin nodded and the three of them crammed together onto the bench.

“Are Hannie and Lix with him?” asked Hyunjin.

“Chan-hyung said they’re still asleep and he’s going to leave them to sleep some more,” said Changbin shaking his head.

“I’ll call them later then,” said Hyunjin nodding. “They’re going to want to meet Minho-hyung.” It was a couple minutes later that they were climbing into Chan’s car.

“Hey,” greeted Chan, “you must be Minho-ah, I’m Chan, call me hyung.”

“Hi,” said Minho trying to be polite.

“Hyung’s from Australia,” said Hyunjin voluntarily as Chan pulled out of the parking space. “Isn’t his hair cool? He doesn’t leave it curly a whole lot.”

“It’s cool,” said Minho nodding.

“Thanks, Minho-ah, do you know which shelter we’re going to?” asked Chan, “there’s two nearby.”

“Only one actually,” said Changbin shaking his head. “Seoul Rescue East is no kill.”

“Ah,” said Chan nodding and turning in the direction of the other shelter.

“The one Minghao’s group is trying to shut down then,” said Chan nodding.

“That’s the one,” said Changbin with a grimace. “Shouldn’t be hard to get the papers, right, hyung?”

“Probably not,” said Chan shaking his head. Hyunjin tried to keep Minho involved in conversation the whole way there to keep him from panicking too much.

“Want me to go in with you, Changbin-ah?” asked Chan. Changbin hesitated and looked back at the other two.

“We’ll leave the keys with Hyunjinnie and they can lock the car,” said Chan already pulling the keys out of the ignition and passing them back to Hyunjin who took them.

“Okay,” agreed Changbin nodding and climbing out of the car. Chan followed and the two of them disappeared into the shelter.

“Your person said it wouldn’t be difficult?” asked Minho nervously.

“Yeah,” said Hyunjin nodding, “but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to be assholes about it, Chan-hyung’s like the leader of our friend group, Binnie-hyung will feel better about having him with him to make sure it goes fine. It shouldn’t take them too long.”

“Can I really call him hyung?” asked Minho shoving his hands into the pockets of the hoodie, ears flicking up in curiosity. It was the first time that Hyunjin saw them not pressed flat against his head.

“Course,” said Hyunjin nodding, “he told you to. They’re all like that.”

“That’s really weird, Hyunjin-ah, are you sure they’re not some weird cult or something?” asked Minho. Hyunjin laughed.

“I’m sure,” he said, “they’re really cool. Believe me I know it’s super weird at first, Felix-ah couldn’t stop calling everyone sir for like three months. I think there was a cake involved the first time he called Chan hyung.” Minho couldn’t stop the giggle that bubbled out of his chest.

“Have you ever had cake, Minho-hyung? I hadn’t before Changbin-hyung,” said Hyunjin brightly. “I lived with Changbinnie-hyung’s aunt, he inherited me when she passed away. He’s so cool, I got really lucky.”

“No,” said Minho shaking his head, “just scraps typically. My coloring was wrong, I wasn’t worth enough to feed properly and at the shelter everyone got scraps.”

“Well, no more scraps for you now,” said Hyunjin shaking his head. “We probably can’t get cake short notice, but we should definitely make some this weekend. We’ll stop for milkshakes on the way back for sure though! Candy Pop will be open then and Nayeon-noona makes the best milkshakes.”

“And when you say no more scraps, you mean like real food?” asked Minho slouching down in the seat just for something to do.

“Yep,” said Hyunjin nodding, “like breakfast this morning. If it makes you sick at first we’ll adjust to small portions and light food. I was sick the first couple days until hyung figured out it was because I wasn’t used to eating. We can work up to normal portions if they make you sick at first. I was like really really underweight. I didn’t know at the time, but Changbin-hyung was worried I had like organ damage from it.”

“You lived with his aunt though?” asked Minho.

“Yeah,” said Hyunjin nodding, “I was a show hybrid. So like, no running around, no moving at all, don’t eat too much, had to be perfect and look perfect. I was a glorified trophy. Hyung hadn’t ever met me when he inherited me. I really did get lucky that he’s the way he is. I didn’t know there were homes out there without rules.”

“There really aren’t any rules?” asked Minho pulling one of his knees up to his chest to hug it.

“Really. I didn’t do so well with that at first and like had a couple panic attacks so Changbin-hyung made temporary rules so that we could ease into it,” said Hyunjin nodding, “do you want to know those?”

“Yes,” said Minho nodding.

“Eat when you’re hungry. Tell Changbin-hyung if you hurt or you feel funny. Ask questions even if you think you shouldn’t. Eat when the schedule says too even if it’s only a little bit,” listed Hyunjin trying to remember all of the rules they’d used at first. “I think that was it.”

“That’s easy,” muttered Minho, “that’s really all?”

“Yeah,” said Hyunjin nodding.

“Think it’ll be different since I’m a dog hybrid? We’re supposed to help around the house with whatever our owners want,” said Minho.

“It won’t be any different,” said Hyunjin shaking his head. He perked up slightly looking out the window and Minho quickly sat up straight and looked. Chan and Changbin were coming back towards them. Hyunjin unlocked the car doors so they could get in and he held the keys out to Chan who took them. Both of them looked annoyed but smiled at the two of them.

“Okay,” said Changbin, “you’re officially part of the family and registered, hyung. We’ve got the tags for you too.” He held them up, they were on a string and Minho leaned forward expecting Changbin to put them around his neck. Changbin hesitated a moment before carefully tying the string loosely around Minho’s neck so the tags hung down. Minho sat back quickly once Changbin let go and looked down a little surprised that Changbin hadn’t tied it tight like a choker.

“Okay, shopping then?” asked Chan.

“Yes!” cheered Hyunjin and Changbin nodded taking a steading breath. It would be a long day, but it should be easier this time since he had a better idea of what he was doing now and he had Chan this time too.

Hyunjin and Kai cleared out the storage room that afternoon and helped Minho get all the new clothes moved in and they built the bed frame together and got the mattress put on it. Minho did his best to help, but neither of them would let him do much. He sat on the bed looking at the full closet and new dresser and the phone in front of him once the younger two were done and had headed downstairs. It was overwhelming and he wasn’t sure he really believed everything Hyunjin had said and everything that had happened today. He felt like he was waiting for the other foot to fall. But he knew he didn’t want to mess this up, because so far it had been more than he’d ever hoped to find in an adoption. He looked up as Hyunjin stuck his head in the doorway.

“Hey, hyung, I’m going with my friends to the book store, do you want to come?” he asked.

“Um, I’m not sure that’s a great idea,” said Minho shaking his head.

“Too many new people at once today?” asked Hyunjin and Minho nodded hesitantly.

“Okay,” said Hyunjin nodding, “I thought that might be the case but I wanted to ask anyway. We’ll bring you back a book. Do you know how to read?”

“Yeah,” said Minho nodding.

“Okay, awesome, we’ll find you something fun,” said Hyunjin brightly, “promise me you’ll find Binnie-hyung if something’s wrong?” Minho bit his lip. He really didn’t want to, but Hyunjin was so earnest and had been doing his best to make sure Minho was alright all day and he was so cute and looked young and Minho couldn’t bear to not promise.

“Okay,” he said nodding, “I promise.”

“Awesome!” said Hyunjin, “Binnie-hyung will still be here all day, I’ll be back after dinner though. Don’t stress about it, it’ll be chill. Have fun!” Minho nodded and Hyunjin took off down the hallway and Minho could hear the tags on one of his collars clinking against each other as he pulled it on. Minho looked over to the dresser where his own new brown collar sat. Changbin had bought him three and hadn’t questioned it when Minho had shoved one into his hoodie pocket so he could stash it in the room incase he needed to run and couldn’t grab one on the way out the door. All of Hyunjin’s hung in the entry way, he had five in different colors and styles. Minho hadn’t been sure how he was supposed to pick his own collars at first and had just pointed at the standard thick black one and Hyunjin had stopped Changbin from just going with that and drug Minho to look at all the different ones while Chan encouraged them to try on the different styles. The thinner light weight ones were still in the entryway, Minho had wanted the sturdy brown one in his room since it would hold up the best. All of Hyunjin’s looked more like chokers than collars and Minho had gotten to pick what shape he wanted the tag with his name on it to be. He’d never had a tag with his name on it and now he had one for each collar. Minho really hoped that Changbin was all that Hyunjin seemed to think he was, but he wasn’t naïve. Hyunjin was perfect for a Persian hybrid, flawless white fur, tall, thin, perfectly symmetrical face, the only possible flaw was the fact that his eyes were brown, but even then they were a golden amber brown that meant they wouldn’t have drug his price range down hardly at all. Minho was the wrong color, he wasn’t quiet or nice enough, he didn’t follow the rules very well, and he wasn’t strong enough to be a decent work hybrid either. Changbin had already proven that he was strong though so he probably didn’t need Minho to do any kind of heavy lifting for the shop. Maybe he could learn the numbers to help with keeping records. He didn’t want kicked out again, he couldn’t get returned, and he had hated the handful of days he’d spent freezing on the streets of Seoul. He’d gotten lucky that Changbin had taken him inside last night and he knew that. He knew he was lucky that he hadn’t died of cold last night and that Changbin hadn’t called the cops or the shelter. It was weird too that Changbin hadn’t asked him to wear the collar all the time. Minho was a little tempted to do it anyway, partially because he’d never really had a proper collar. The kind that owners bought for good hybrids, that didn’t chafe or keep them from moving their head too much or being able to properly breathe. He kind of never wanted to take it off, a little afraid that it would be taken away. More than once he’d only been given the string with the tags tied tight against his throat and that hurt. Changbin had thrown the string away at the store but it wasn’t like string was hard to come by. But wearing the collar would give Changbin something to grab onto and pull him around by, though it wasn’t like the human wouldn’t just use his hair for a handle so maybe it didn’t matter. Minho ran his tongue over his teeth as he thought for a moment before deciding, that no, it was better not to wear the collar unless he had to. Being drug around by his hair hurt, but it wouldn’t choke him like the collar would. Maybe he could make dinner to try and get on Changbin’s good side. Hyunjin seemed to be firmly on his good side and Minho didn’t want to become the punching bag because he wouldn’t ever measure up to a show quality hybrid. But Changbin hadn’t told him to do anything and he didn’t want to make it worse by assuming he was allowed to make dinner or even worse messing it up after assuming he was allowed to make dinner. It’d be easier to just stay in his room unless called so that was the plan for now. So that’s what he did and he headed right back after eating with Changbin, which had been nerve wracking but Minho had managed. Changbin didn’t ask him to do anything, let him just hide in his room. Hyunjin invaded once he was back that night but didn’t try to drag him out into the living room. And Changbin had only stuck his head in to check on the two of them later that night and had smiled to find Hyunjin curled up against Minho fast asleep and told Minho to come wake him up if he needed anything and wished him a good night.

Minho carried on like this for almost a week before starting to watch Changbin make breakfast in the morning, since the footsteps of the other boy never failed to make him wake up in the morning. Hyunjin always slept right through almost any noise, but Minho wanted to be able to help so he watched until he thought he had worked out how to use the coffee machine. And Changbin had greeted him with a cheerful good morning and a nod and instructions to ask him if he was confused when Minho had asked if he could make the coffee this morning. Changbin tried to make conversation and patted his shoulder and apologized the minute that Minho flinched at the contact. Minho froze slightly when Changbin looked up at him a few minutes later.

“Hey, do you want wake Hyunjinnie up this morning?” asked Changbin and Minho looked at him wide eyed.

“But, that’s your routine?” asked Minho hesitantly.

“Yeah,” said Changbin shrugging, “but routines can change and you’re part of our routine now too, hyung, and Jinnie adores you. You’ll probably have a better chance of getting him moving than I will.” Minho chewed on his lip and nodded.

“Okay,” he said and started down the hallway. He paused outside of Hyunjin’s door and then carefully pushed it open. Hyunjin was dead to the world sprawled out across his bed, his covers only half on him. Minho moved over and crouched by the mattress, Hyunjin didn’t have a bedframe and Minho thought that was a little odd since both Changbin and he did, but he’d guess that Hyunjin had requested to not have a bedframe.

“Hyunjin-ah,” he said quietly and then louder when Hyunjin didn’t move. He grabbed Hyunjin’s shoulder and shook him a little.

“Hyunjin-ah, wake up,” he said.

“Ummf, hyung,” complained Hyunjin.

“Hyunjinnie,” said Minho louder, shaking him harder.

“Don’t wanna, hyung,” complained Hyunjin and Minho hesitated a moment before climbing up onto the mattress and flopping down on top of Hyunjin with his entire body weight. Hyunjin yelped and his eyes opened and his limbs flailed for a minute before he wrapped his arms around Minho.

“Minho-hyung,” he complained.

“Breakfast, Hyunjinnie,” said Minho, “your person sent me to wake you up.”

“Our person,” said Hyunjin, “why am I surrounded by morning people.”

“Because morning’s are nice?” suggested Minho, “food, Hyunjinnie.”

“I can’t get up with you on top of me,” said Hyunjin.

“Well, that’s too bad since you wouldn’t wake up,” said Minho pushing himself up on his arms slightly and sticking his tongue out at Hyunjin who pouted.

“Off, hyungie,” complained Hyunjin pushing at him and Minho laughed and rolled off of the younger hybrid and Hyunjin sat up. He rubbed at his eyes and then reached out and scratched Minho’s ears. Minho gasped a little and his eyes fluttered closed and he pushed his head into Hyunjin’s hand. Hyunjin stopped a moment before starting again running his hands through Minho’s hair.

“Sorry I should have asked,” said Hyunjin.

“No, it’s okay, please don’t apologize, no one’s scratched my ears since I was a pup,” said Minho shaking his head and pushing to his feet. He pulled Hyunjin up after him.

“Come on,” he said, “there’s food and food is good and that means morning is good.” Hyunjin laughed.

“Sound logic, but sleep is also good,” he said flopping into Minho’s side but letting Minho drag him off down the hallway. The rest of the morning routine carried on like normal until Changbin finished brushing through Hyunjin’s hair and Hyunjin caught Minho’s wrist and drug him off the couch and onto the floor.

“Sit, hyung, I’m gonna brush your hair today,” he said.

“What?” asked Minho.

“No arguments, I’m brushing your hair,” said Hyunjin, “go open the store, Binnie-hyung, we’ll be down in a bit.” Changbin chuckled but nodded and went about finishing the rest of his morning routine.

“You said no one had scratched your ears since you were really young,” said Hyunjin, “so I’m betting you have no idea how nice it feels to have someone else brush your hair for you. If you hate it we don’t ever have to do it again.” Minho chewed on his lip but didn’t pull away as Hyunjin started carefully running the comb through his hair to work the knots out.

“You can ask for cuddles, hyung,” said Hyunjin.

“I know,” said Minho, “you and. and, Changbin both said so.” It was still weird to say Changbin’s name.

“We meant it,” said Hyunjin, “platonic comfort is important. People need physical touch and hybrids really need it. You like melted earlier when I scratched your ears, hyung.”

“Felt really good,” muttered Minho.

“Please let us know if you need it,” said Hyunjin quietly, “even if you can’t ask for it. Just like grab one of us, hug us, sit on us, like you did this morning when you woke me up.”

“I’ll think about it,” said Minho, letting his eyes fall closed as Hyunjin ran the brush through his hair. He was right, it did feel really good and Hyunjin was surprisingly good at it considering Changbin always did his in the morning.

“We’re going to the Sunday dinner tonight,” said Hyunjin and Minho tensed slightly at his words. “Do you want to come? Chan-hyung would be excited.”

“No,” said Minho, “I can’t.”

“Alright,” said Hyunjin nodding. “Maybe next time.”

“Maybe,” said Minho softly, relaxing more now that he knew Hyunjin wasn’t upset about his answer. He knew they both wanted him to be comfortable around the rest of their friends, but he just wasn’t. He didn’t want to put himself in an environment where it was going to be easier to mess up.

It was another month before Changbin knocked on Minho’s door while Hyunjin was out with Jisung and Felix one afternoon.

“Hey, Minho-hyung,” said Changbin sticking his head inside the room.

“Yes?” asked Minho straightening up quickly.

“Can we talk?” asked Changbin and Minho nodded hurriedly, trying to ignore the fear that spiked through him. Maybe he’d been too needy, maybe he’d messed up, maybe Changbin was sending him away and wanted to do it while Hyunjin wasn’t around to make it harder. Changbin sat on the edge of the bed and faced him.

“It’s nothing bad, don’t look so worried,” said Changbin shaking his head, “I’m just worried about you. I know it’s only been a couple months but I’m worried that you’re not adjusting and that something’s wrong. I called Namjoon-hyung last night to see if he thought maybe you just needed more time and he wanted to see you just to make sure that you’re alright.”

“What?” asked Minho pulling back slightly, “I don’t understand? Did I? Did I do something wrong? Am I supposed to be doing something else?”

“No, you haven’t done anything wrong, hyung,” said Changbin shaking his head again. “Jackson-hyung brought something to my attention a couple weeks ago and I’m probably being dramatic. I’d just rather make sure that there’s nothing wrong than let it be and find out later that you’ve been hurting this whole time.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Minho wrapping his arms tightly around himself, trying not to freak out.

“I’m sure it’s silly, but Jinnie’s worried too,” said Changbin. “Jackson-hyung pointed out that different kinds of hybrids have slightly different instincts and that dog hybrids are almost always very physically affectionate and the only times they aren’t is if something is wrong. Cat and bunny hybrids are normally very physically affectionate too, but not to the same lengths and it takes much longer for them to warm up to it. You’ve been here for almost four months now, hyung, and I’d be less worried if it was just that it was me, but Hyunjin-ah says you don’t want to hug him or cuddle either.”

“And that’s bad?” asked Minho quietly. Changbin nodded.

“It might not be,” he said, “but I’d rather we went and saw Namjoon-hyung just to make sure.”

“We don’t have to,” said Minho quickly, “I’ll be more affectionate, I don’t want you to have to spend money on me. I’ll cuddle, I promise. I can be good and do what you want me to, I just need to know what you want me to do.”

“I don’t want you to do something because I tell you to,” said Changbin shaking his head, “I want you to do it because you want to. It’s be good to go to Namjoon-hyung anyway just to make sure nothing’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong, I swear,” said Minho shaking his head.

“This is more than just that you don’t want me to spend money on you,” said Changbin frowning. “Can you tell me why you’re so against it?”

“If something’s wrong you’ll leave to talk to the doctor and the nurse will give me a shot and everything will be gone,” said Minho quietly. Changbin swore violently and shook his head quickly.

“No,” he said, “hell no, hyung. You’re stuck with us no matter what, I swear. Bangtan doesn’t do euthanasia, it’s a non-option. I wouldn’t do that no matter what. There is nothing you could do that would get you sent away, abandoned, or killed. You could beat the shit out of me and we wouldn’t do any of that.” Minho pulled his knees up to his chest to hug them.

“You mean that,” he stated.

“Yes,” said Changbin, “I swear on my life, I swear on Hyunjin-ah’s life, you are part of this family no matter what. There is literally nothing that could happen that would take you away from this.”

“Even if something is really wrong?” asked Minho hesitantly.

“Even then,” said Changbin nodding, “you need to meet Jisung-ah soon. He’s hyperglycemic, has a medical bracelet for it and everything. If something’s really wrong we’ll get you a bracelet and we’ll try different treatments and go from there. Hopefully there’s nothing wrong.” Minho nodded.

“Okay,” he said, “let’s go see Dr. Kim.” Changbin nodded.

“Alright,” he said, “let’s get ready to go then.” It was thirty minutes before they were sitting in the office at Bangtan Hybrid Clinic and Namjoon had finished taking blood.

“Okay,” he said, “we’ll run a bunch of tests just incase there’s anything going on. But honestly, I think you’re perfectly healthy, Minho-ah. If I had to guess, I’d say you’re touch starved and just not used to being able to get the physical affection you need.”

“There’s nothing wrong?” asked Minho shoulders curling in slightly.

“I doubt it,” said Namjoon shaking his head, “try giving it a few more weeks and then maybe go talk to a therapist.”

“Thanks, hyung,” said Changbin nodding. Namjoon nodded.

“Alright,” he said handing out suckers and standing up, “I’ll see you on Sunday then. Maybe we’ll see you there this time, Minho-ah?”

“Maybe,” said Minho hesitantly.

“Oh, there is another thing I’d suggest,” said Namjoon, “you mentioned you’re kind of twitchy? You’re probably not getting enough exercise. You might try coming to one of the dance classes at Hope On the Street.”

“Dance class?” asked Changbin. Namjoon nodded.

“Stop and ask Yoongi-hyung about it at the front,” he said.

“We’ll do that,” said Changbin nodding. They did ask at the front and Yoongi told them which days and times had the hybrid classes and mixed hybrid and human classes and which ones were going to have fewer people. Minho followed Changbin as they walked home and hesitated a few minutes before reaching for his hand. Changbin didn’t pull away, just let him grab his hand and held it as they continued to walk home.

“What do you think about dance?” asked Changbin.

“I don’t know,” said Minho shaking his head. “What do you think?”

“I think it might be a good option,” said Changbin nodding, “you don’t like being in public and being in the dance studio would be a more controlled environment. I know Felix and Jisung like it and have been trying to convince Hyunjin-ah to try. I bet he’d go with you if you decide you want to try.” Minho nodded.

“I’ll ask him what he thinks,” said Minho and Changbin nodded.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said.

Minho waited until later that night and sat down next to Hyunjin on the couch and hesitated a minute before laying his head on the taller’s shoulder and asking what he thought. Hyunjin had encouraged it and agreed to go with him, which was how Minho now found himself standing outside the dance studio early one morning with Hyunjin wrapped around his back like a koala. Changbin led the way into the studio and talked cheerfully with the man that owned it who introduced himself as Hoseok and became another person on the growing list of people that Minho could call hyung.

“You don’t have to stay, hyung,” said Hyunjin, “we’ll call you if we need you to come get us.” Minho nodded in agreement, not wanting Changbin to have to stay and wait for them instead of being at the store. Changbin had agreed and left to go back to the store. Hoseok had led them down the hall to the right studio. There were four hybrids inside already, on the floor laughing and talking.

“Jinnie!” yelled the bunny hybrid jumping to his feet. Hyunjin let go of Minho and latched onto the other hybrid yelling excitedly and incoherently.

“Hey,” called the tallest of the four hybrids. “That means you must be Minho. I’m Taehyung, this is Jimin, that’s Han and this is Felix.”

“Hi,” said Jimin waving, “call us hyung. The other two are younger than you.”

“Hi,” said Felix waving slightly.

“Hi,” said Minho already feeling awkward.

“Minho and Hyunjin-ah are joining you all today to see if they want to come regularly,” said Hoseok, “yell if you need anything.”

“Will do, hyung, go run your desk,” said Jimin nodding. The other four hybrids welcomed Minho cheerfully and Minho found himself relaxing. Jimin and Taehyung seemed to be somewhat attached at the hip, but they were more than happy to claim him as part of the dog hybrid group and decided he was their favorite which had caused brief chaos until Minho had started laughing and everyone got distracted. By the time Changbin had come back to pick them up, Minho was in love with dancing and had excitedly asked if they could come again for the next class, completely forgetting to be worried about asking for things and Changbin had grinned and agreed to bring them for every class they wanted.

Minho and Changbin had started rotating days on who woke Hyunjin up. Minho had started using it to get sly cuddles from the taller hybrid. Mostly by belly flopping on top of him when he went to wake him up which resulted in shrieking laughter and loud complaining every morning. He tried to be better about physical affection more and more after that and it had been surprisingly easy to let himself cuddle with Hyunjin once he’d stopped refusing to. Changbin seemed a lot less worried after the night he found the two of them asleep on the couch cuddled together so close you couldn’t tell where one began and the other ended. Minho kept refusing to come to Sunday dinners, but had stopped hiding in his room when Chan, Jisung, and Felix came over. Within two weeks of the other three coming over regularly again, Changbin found Hyunjin’s bean bag behind the counter occupied with a sleeping Jisung and Minho. After that Jisung had somehow became Minho’s favorite person to hug or hold onto, which was probably good. Jisung and Felix were both very enthusiastic huggers and cuddlers. To the point that Changbin figured that they were some of the outliers for hybrids of their animals since they seemed to be a lot more like Jimin and Taehyung were when it came to cuddling than Jungkook, Yoongi, and Hyunjin were. Which wasn’t to say Hyunjin didn’t love cuddles and hugs just as much, he just wasn’t as aggressively loud about it for the most part. In another week Changbin had noticed that Minho would reach for him only to stop himself and jerk back, he wasn’t sure if this was Minho trying to get past whatever kept stopping him or if it was Minho wanting to and then stopping himself on purpose, but he wasn’t about to push the older boy if he wasn’t ready. Then Minho had a nightmare and everything changed. Changbin woke up to hoarse screaming and rolled out of bed as soon as his brain registered what it was. It cut off quickly and Changbin stepped out into the hallway and checked first on Hyunjin since his room was closer, he was still asleep so Changbin ran to Minho’s room and knocked once before pushing the door open. Minho scrambled back up the bed, pulling the bed cover with him and curling in on himself as if to protect himself.

“Hyung?” asked Changbin. “Are you hurt?” Minho shook his head frantically.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he repeated over and over, “It won’t happen again. I’m so sorry. Please, I’m so sorry.”

“Hyung, it’s okay, deep breaths. Can you take deep breaths for me? You’re having a panic attack,” said Changbin holding his hands out palm up and stepping closer to Minho. He’d seen Chan help Felix with panic attacks enough times to know how he needed to keep his hands up and in view, palm up so they were as non-threatening as possible, and that he needed to keep his voice even and reassuring, and that his number one priority was to get Minho’s breathing to calm down so he didn’t pass out before they could get him calmed down.

“I’m going to sit on the bed, I’m going to put one of your hands on my chest so you can match my breathing, hyung,” said Changbin before doing exactly what he said he was going to. Minho flinched violently when Changbin took his hand, but he didn’t pull back and let Changbin put his hand on Changbin’s chest. There were tears streaking down Minho’s face and he kept muttering apologies.

“Try to follow my breathing, hyung, it’s okay, you’re okay,” said Changbin and started coaching Minho through breathing, muttering reassurances along the way. Changbin wasn’t sure how much time passed before Minho was breathing at a normal pace and had finally stopped apologizing, but it felt like an eternity.

“Better?” asked Changbin and Minho nodded.

“Thank you,” he said, “I’m sorry I woke you up and that you had to deal with that.”

“I’d rather you did,” said Changbin nodding, “you shouldn’t have to deal with that on your own, hyung. Want some tea?” Minho nodded and let Changbin pull him out of bed and lead him down the hall to the kitchen. Changbin doesn’t ask about it until they’re both sat on the couch with mugs of tea. Seoul is as quiet as Seoul gets outside the window and the city lights blur against the glass as Minho focuses on the blinking numbers of the clock telling him it was an ungodly hour of the morning and they should both be asleep.

“Want to talk about it?” asked Changbin breaking the silence. Minho shook his head.

“Not really,” he said.

“Was the panic attack about the nightmare?” asked Changbin and Minho shook his head again. Changbin nodded.

“It’s because it woke me up isn’t it?” asked Changbin and Minho was starting to feel like a bobblehead but he didn’t want to talk so he kept nodding.

“Can you tell me why that made you panic?” asked Changbin. “You know I want you to get me if you need something, even if that’s just a barrier between you and some asshole or you and whatever your own mind created. We’ve had the conversation about me not being mad at you for accidents and things you can’t control multiple times already, but I’m willing to have it again if you think it’ll help.” Minho shook his head.

“No, I know all that,” he said.

“Alright,” said Changbin nodding, “then I think we might need to have a conversation about seeing Felix’s therapist.”

“I don’t want to have to talk to a stranger about my life story,” said Minho shaking his head, “that’s worse.”

“Okay, what do you want to do?” asked Changbin. “What am I not doing that would help?” Minho opened his mouth to list off all the things that Changbin could do and found he had nothing. He’d never had anything that he wouldn’t tell an owner to change if given the chance.

“I don’t know,” said Minho finally, “you’re doing everything I could want. I just. I don’t believe it, I think. It doesn’t really feel real.”

“And you’re very against the therapist?” asked Changbin and Minho nodded.

“I think it would help,” said Changbin, “you could ask Felix what he thinks?”

“I’ll think about it,” said Minho. “But I really don’t want to have to tell a stranger everything. I know what I’m afraid of and why I’m doing these things I’m self-aware enough for that, Changbin-ah, I just don’t know how to deal with it.”

“That would be what she would help with,” said Changbin nodding, “you can always try and if you hate it you don’t have to go back. I don’t want you hurting, hyung.” Minho nodded.

“I think I believe you,” he said, “I think that’s the first time I believe you.”

“That’s good,” said Changbin nodding, “I’ll do whatever I need to in order to help you feel safe, hyung. I just don’t know how to do that.” Minho shrugged.

“I don’t know,” he said finally. “Does Chan-hyung hate me?” Changbin startled a little at the sudden change in conversation.

“No? Chan-hyung loves you,” said Changbin, “everyone does, you’re great. And also Chan-hyung’s like the nicest person you’ll ever meet, basically as long as you’re not straight up awful he’ll love you. Why?”

“He always gives me this sad awkward look,” said Minho, “and he jerks away from me a lot.” Changbin nodded.

“Well, I think he’s worried that you don’t like him, which would be justified since you seem to generally dislike humans which like, dude I’d totally never want to be around another human again if I was you,” said Changbin nodding, “and he jerks away because he knows you don’t really like physical affection from people that aren’t in your group that you cuddle with and Chan-hyung’s super affectionate. He’s like a koala. That’s just him catching himself because he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Oh,” said Minho looking surprised. “He can if he wants.”

“He can what?” asked Changbin baffled.

“Hug me, pat my arm, or whatever it is he stops himself from doing,” said Minho nodding. “Felix and Jisung trust him beyond a doubt and Felix-ah would not if he wasn’t completely trustworthy. I just can’t reach out without panicking about it.”

“I’ll let him know,” said Changbin nodding. “Are any of the others okay?”

“No,” said Minho, “not yet anyway.”

“Alright,” agreed Changbin and then taking a sip of his tea.

“And,” said Minho hesitantly, “um and you too, Changbin-ah, you don’t have to stop yourself either.” Changbin looked at him surprised.

“Really?” he asked, “I thought you didn’t want me to touch you.”

“I’ve been trying and I can’t,” said Minho, “I think maybe if you initiate it it’ll make my brain decide you’re okay.”

“You freaked out earlier,” said Changbin furrowing his eyebrows as he thought about it.

“To be fair I wasn’t exactly in a great headspace,” said Minho rolling his eyes and then quieting a little, “and I couldn’t tell it was you either. My brain heard your voice and just went, owner, oh no, I woke him up and then everything else was fuzzy.”

“Do you want me to try now?” asked Changbin and Minho nodded hesitantly. Changbin put his mug down and scooted closer.

“I’m going to hug you, tell me to stop if you want,” said Changbin and Minho nodded setting his own mug down. Changbin wrapped his arms around him, Minho was tense for a few seconds and then melted against him going limp and grabbing the sides of his shirt. They stayed like that for several minutes.

“This is okay,” said Minho nodding finally, “Hyunjin’s right you do feel safe.” Changbin laughed and adjusted so that Minho was pressed in closer to him and his head was against his shoulder.

“I’m going to fall asleep, Changbin-ah,” said Minho.

“Good you probably need to,” said Changbin nodding. “Want to go to bed?”

“No,” said Minho, “stay?”

“Sure.”

It gets easier after that for Minho to reach for Changbin, he still stops himself most of the time but Changbin will reach back and Minho likes that he doesn’t have to worry about it. Chan and everyone from the dance classes keep asking him to come to the group dinners on Sundays with Changbin and Hyunjin and he finally agrees to it. It’s chaos and Minho ends up getting drug around to meet everyone by Jisung who promises not to leave Minho alone the rest of the night and he doesn’t. The bunny hybrid stays right by his side and Minho meets Jin who’s Junkook’s person, he meets the PA for the clinic and his three, he meets a surprising number of other dog hybrids, he meets Chan’s best friend BamBam and Yugyeom the only exotic hybrid in the group, he meets three boys who are seemingly there without their person and gets the explanation from Chenle that Taeyong’s work schedule is crazy right now because he’s on tour with an idol group but that Minho will get to meet him once the tour is done. And when Minho needs a break from all the chaos Jisung drug him through the house to the room he called their studio and locked the door behind them, suspending them in blessed silence. Minho sat down on the floor and let his head drop back against the wall. Jisung laughed and sat down next to him.

“It’s a lot, I know,” he said nodding. “It started with just me and Channie-hyung and BamBam. None of us could have imagined we’d end up with a group like this and then BamBam-hyung met Jackson-hyung and the others and it kind of snowballed from there. Everyone kinda sections off into their groups of close friends from there and BamBam-hyung has the Got Books crew and there’s the Bangtan Crew with Jin-hyung and Hobi-hyung. And for awhile me and Channie were here, like we were part of the big group and we’ve always had the meet ups here because we have the biggest yard, but it was like we couldn’t have that same connection with anyone. We were here but we didn’t fit quite right, like we’re missing puzzle pieces. And then I met Hyunjin and Changbin and we clicked and then Felix happened and now you and you just fit, hyung, you know? BamBam told Chan-hyung that he’s collecting the strays of the group, the ones that feel like they’re drifting, he’s not exactly wrong. You haven’t met Woojin-hyung yet, he’s an idol that Chan-hyung works with a lot, he was one of the first that Chan-hyung worked with and he’s not around a whole lot, but he fits a little too, and he told Chan-hyung that BamBam-hyung was right. You know Lix spent the first two months locking himself in here on Sundays.”

“Really? But he loves it now,” said Minho and Jisung nodded.

“Yeah, now, but it is a lot and he didn’t hardly speak Korean and he was scared of so many things,” said Jisung cocking his head, “he’s still scared of a lot of things but not as much now. It’s why there’s always someone with him actually, he doesn’t startle as easy if someone else is there too. Chan-hyung was worried me and him were going to end up too co-dependent in the beginning, you know? But like it’s nice to have that safety blanket. I didn’t have that and me and Chan-hyung were kind of a mess for awhile because we didn’t know what we were doing.”

“You were scared?” asked Minho surprised, “but you’re like the most fearless person I know.” Jisung shrugged.

“I was like eleven or so when Chan-hyung adopted me,” he said, “Channie said that he and Bin-hyung got your papers from the same place he adopted me. I’m hyperglycemic and didn’t know it and they hardly feed you there so I passed out easy and was super weak. I’m also pretty loud and energetic if you haven’t noticed, hyung.” Minho laughed at this.

“I was a little surprised,” he said nodding and Jisung smiled bitterly and nodded.

“Exactly,” he said, “not what you want in a bunny hybrid, especially one with fur like mine. Bunny hybrids are supposed to be docile, quiet, and clingy. I’m none of those things.”

“I don’t know you’re pretty clingy,” said Minho shaking his head and smiling. Jisung laughed.

“Okay, that’s fair,” he said nodding, “but not really what I meant and you know that.” Minho grimaced and nodded.

“So I was eleven and I was like you, I’d been returned too many times because who wants a hyperactive bunny hybrid that can’t stand up with out stumbling like he’s drunk,” said Jisung shrugging, “and I was a mess, like really a mess, because unless you’re a hybrid that’s going to sell for a lot the shelter does not give a damn. And Chan-hyung, BamBam-hyung, and one of their friends come into the shelter and somehow this blonde kid with a weird accent decides he’s taking me home the minute he sees me and none of them could convince him otherwise. And it was weird because he was so nice and he didn’t seem to have any expectations and he did his best to take care of me and he asked me questions, which was weird, right?”

“Yeah,” said Minho nodding, thinking about how strange it had been trying to figure out how he was supposed to exist in a house like Changbin and Hyunjin’s where he was treated like a person and not a pet. He couldn’t imagine trying to adjust to something like that as a bunny hybrid, most of the time they weren’t even really considered pets so much as toys.

“Right,” said Jisung nodding, “so like I decided I liked him and I was going to be the best bunny hybrid I could possibly be and tried to be completely perfect for him. Which was kind of hard because he kept throwing these curveballs at me and the weirdest part was definitely that he wanted me to call him hyung right from the start. And he still lived in the dorms then, right? And there’s not hybrid accommodation because hybrids aren’t people and don’t need things like beds and stuff. And he never wanted me to earn the right to sleep next to him on the bed and I figured he expected more but he didn’t ever ask for any of that. Well, hyung didn’t know that everything he’d been told about hybrids was wrong and I didn’t know what to do with someone who didn’t give me orders and kinda lived in panicked silence for a year trying to be the perfect bunny hybrid.”

“You don’t have to tell me this, Jisungie,” said Minho.

“Except I do,” said Jisung nodding, “because you deserve to know and I like you and I want you to be able to understand. I can’t tell you everyone’s stories, but I can tell you mine.” Minho nodded.

“Okay,” he agreed.

“Right, so I decided maybe I was supposed to beg for it, because sometimes owners liked that kind of stuff so I tried one night and Chan-hyung like full on freaked out,” said Jisung, “I’ve only seen him panic like that maybe three times in ten years. It took both of us freaking out for thirty minutes before we managed to communicate what was going on and Chan-hyung didn’t sleep for like an entire week and BamBam-hyung flipped his shit when Chan-hyung told him that everything they knew about hybrids was wrong and suddenly there were less rules and Chan didn’t expect anything and asked my opinion on everything and wanted my input and I was supposed to tell him if I need things or if I hurt or just felt sad. And it was a lot to adjust to and it took a lot of time and I definitely didn’t want to push too far and find out where hyung’s line was just because it seemed like he didn’t have one, because it was the best place I’d ever lived and I didn’t want to lose it.”

“What happened?” asked Minho not seeing how any of this had given them the loud happy energetic Jisung they had today.

“I passed out,” said Jisung nodding, “went into hyperglycemic shock. This was right when Chan-hyung first started producing for JYP instead of being a trainee. That’s how we met Namjoon-hyung because they were the only clinic in Seoul open. The whole time after I woke up I kept expecting Chan-hyung to tell me he was sending me back to the shelter or that I was defective or that he’d walk out into the hallway to talk to the doctor and he wouldn’t come back in and the nurse would give me a shot. Because I knew something was wrong, I didn’t know what, but I knew something was wrong and I was essentially defective. But hyung didn’t leave the room once and we went home with four insulin shots in case of emergency, medicine for me to take, a new diet plan, a medical bracelet, and a medical tag. And I’m pretty sure I cried for like two hours that night and hyung kept telling me he wasn’t getting rid of me and it just like really cemented that hyung meant everything he’d been saying and that he really wasn’t going to walk away from me for anything. I think that weekend was the first time I actually asked him for anything, because I wanted to see if that extended to things like running around and he’d just agreed and let me drag him around one of the parks the whole day and had only laughed at all the tangles and knots in my hair and fur that evening and helped me spend two hours getting them all out. I think me and Chan-hyung figuring everything out helped Hyunjin-hyung and Changbin-hyung because show hybrids and bunny hybrids are pretty similar in a lot of ways so it helped Hyunjin adjust having me around and Chan-hyung knew what to tell Changbin-hyung that they needed to talk about, because like if he had known what needed to be addressed we’d have had our stuff sorted out within the first three months and it wouldn’t have taken us two years and me almost dying. So like I guess what I’m saying is, we’re all dealing with stuff from before and we’ve all had to learn how to get beyond that and I’ve seen the way you keep trying to reach for Bin-hyung and panicking when you don’t get there and I wanted to make sure you knew it was okay. That you don’t have to be alright right away. Felix-ah still has full on panic attacks sometimes and sometimes won’t react to Chan-hyung during them because his brain won’t recognize him as safe. So just take your time and we can keep hiding in here as long as you need to. You’re part of the family and you’re not going anywhere.” Minho cocked his head as he thought about what Jisung had told him.

“Changbin, said that if something was wrong with me we’d do what we had to in order to fix it and he wouldn’t send me back,” said Minho, “he was telling the truth.”

“Yeah,” said Jisung nodding. “He had the same conversation with Jinnie-hyung the first time he got sick.”

“He’s the only owner I’ve ever had that encourages physical affection. The first few kept telling me I was too needy, that I needed to stop. And then the last few would hit me because of it,” said Minho quietly, “and the last one was awful. They’d act like I could, like it was okay and then if I didn’t stop myself they’d yell and hurt me and starve me unless I asked for them to fuck me.” Jisung grimaced and laid his head on Minho’s shoulder.

“Every one of my owners have told me I look like I should be a cat hybrid or a bunny not a dog,” said Minho shaking his head, “that I wasn’t smart enough or strong enough to be a dog hybrid. I know Changbin-ah’s not like that because I’ve seen him with Hyunjin-ah, but my brain freaks out when I try to ask for things like cuddles and food.”

“That’s okay,” said Jisung nodding, “have you thought about going to see a therapist? Lix loves her, says she’s the best and she’s really helped him with the panic attacks. And I saw her for a while too, she’s super cool I promise.”

“I don’t want to,” said Minho shaking his head, “I feel like I can’t breathe when I think about having to tell a stranger everything that’s happened. I want to keep trying to figure it out myself.”

“Promise you’ll go if it gets worse,” said Jisung.

“Jisungie,” said Minho.

“No, hyung, promise me. I want you to be okay,” said Jisung sitting up and looking him in the eyes, “I don’t want to watch you hurt yourself, so promise me you’ll see the doctor.”

“Okay, Jisung,” said Minho nodding, “I promise.” Jisung nodded.

“Thanks,” he said relaxing again and flopping his head onto Minho’s shoulder.

“I’m doing okay though,” said Minho, “I got really close last time I tried to hug Changbin-ah.” 

“Maybe you’re trying to start too big,” said Jisung, “why don’t you ask if he’ll do your hair in the mornings instead of Hyunjin-hyung sometime.” Minho looked down at Jisung surprised. He hadn’t even considered something like that. Maybe he could. Maybe it would work.

“I’ll try,” he decided nodding.

“Yeah?” asked Jisung beaming at him brightly, “awesome! Hey do you want to hear the music I’ve been working on?”

“Yes,” said Minho nodding. They listened to some of the songs Jisung had been putting together recently and Minho sat back after the last one.

“They’re all kind of extra dark this time?” he asked. Jisung chewed on his lip and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m a little stressed right now,” he said, “Chan-hyung too.”

“Oh?” asked Minho, “something the rest of us can help with?”

“No,” said Jisung shaking his head, “it’s not a problem yet so we don’t want anyone else to have to worry.” 

“Tell me, please?” asked Minho, “I’m second oldest in this family group, right? Let me help.” Jisung hesitated before finally nodding.

“It’s looking like the people that the cops arrested and found Felix with aren’t going to go to prison and will just have to pay a fine,” said Jisung, “we’re worried about them coming for Lix. Not so much about them taking him, because Chan-hyung made sure this house could be super secure when we moved in, but he is worried that it’ll mean Lix will have to see them again and deal with it if they come looking for him and that it’ll be really bad for his emotional state. And honestly I’m kind of scared. What are we supposed to do if they come looking for him? What if they hurt him again? I’m not especially strong, hyung, I can’t really protect him and I wish I could.”

“Chan-hyung will protect both of you,” said Minho.

“But who will protect him?” asked Jisung shaking his head.

“I will,” said Minho nodding, “I’m not especially strong either and I might be a fluffy kind of a dog hybrid, but I do know how to fight if I have to Jisungie. You’re going to be okay.” Jisung looked at him and decided now was the not the time to ask how exactly Minho knew how to fight and was sure he could, so he nodded and played another song.

Minho watched from his usual place on the couch the next morning while Hyunjin sat on the floor so Changbin could run the brush through his hair. Hyunjin was especially sleepy this morning and had practically fallen back asleep where he sat and Minho was finding it endlessly funny to watch him try and keep holding his head up as he fought sleep. Changbin seemed amused as well though he acted annoyed every time Hyunjin’s head moved and he had to wait for it to get back into place again.

“Alright, Jinnie, we’re done,” said Changbin setting the brushes aside and starting to stand up.

“Okay,” said Hyunjin moving to stand as well and reaching for the brush.

“Actually,” started Minho and then stopping himself. No he was doing this. He took a deep breath.

“Actually, do you think you can brush mine this morning, Changbin-ah?” Changbin and Hyunjin both looked shocked but immediately agreed and Changbin grinned as he sat back down and Minho traded spots with Hyunjin so Changbin could run the brush through his hair. Minho let his eyes fall shut after a few minutes and he was too busy enjoying the feeling of someone brushing his hair for him to be panicking about it being Changbin instead of Hyunjin.

“I think Jinnie fell asleep,” said Changbin idly and it was such a normal thing to say that Minho couldn’t help but giggle at it.

“Thanks,” said Minho.

“Hyung, don’t thank me for brushing your hair. I brush Hyunjin’s every morning and he never thanks me, it’d be weird,” said Changbin and Minho tried to keep his ears from twitching at the comment.

“Not what I was thanking you for, Binnie,” said Minho and he could swear that he could hear Changbin’s grin at the nickname.

“I know,” said Changbin, “you still don’t have to thank me. Thank you for staying and for giving us a chance. We both know you could have taken the collar you keep in your room and run at any time.”

“I know,” said Minho, “so, Binnie-ah, we get cake tonight, right? I heard there was cake the first time that Felix called Chan hyung.” Changbin laughed and Hyunjin groaned annoyed at the noise from where he was asleep on the couch and Minho felt safe at last. Maybe Jisung was right and there was trouble coming and maybe the safety was temporary but Minho didn’t remember the last time he felt safe and this was definitely the first time he felt like he was home.

**Author's Note:**

> I know that Felix has made an appearance in a couple of these fics already and that there's a bit of a time jump between him not being in the fics and him being in the fics.  
> There will be one with his appearance I just haven't gotten around to actually writing it yet. 
> 
> I like to think I have plan but honestly this series started with a plan, moved in a vague direction, and then decided it was going to run off without me. 
> 
> Also a bit of Jisung's story made it's first appearance!!! 
> 
> Okay, animals for hybrids because I put a lot of work into this:  
> Minho - Chow Chow Dog  
> Hyunjin - Persian Cat  
> Han Jisung - American Fuzzy Lop Bunny  
> Felix - Egyptian Mau Cat  
> Jimin - Schipperke Dog  
> Taehyung - Treeing Walker Coonhound Dog  
> Taehyun - Korean Shorthair Cat (Calico)


End file.
